Gratefall adjusting mechanism for cotton processing machinery



Jan..20, 1970 e. A. FOUNTAIN 3,490,101

GRATEFALL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PROCESSING MACHINERY l: I MG. 2

Jan. 20, 1970 a. A. FOUNTAIN GRATEFALL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR COTTONPROCESSING MACHINERY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1968 Jan. 20, 1970 G.A. FOUNTAQN 3,490,101

GRATEFALL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PROCESSING MACHINERY Filed May1, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I as q wg I 0 on United States Patent 3,490,101GRATEFALL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR COTTON PROCESSING MACHINERY George A.Fountain, East Bridgewater, Mass., assignor to North American RockwellCorporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 1,1968, Ser. No. 725,769 Int. Cl. D01b 1/08 US. Cl. 1955 12 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved gratefall adjusting mechanism forcotton processing machinery wherein the entire gratefall can bepositioned with respect to the saws of the machinery by inter-connectedpositioning devices adapted to operate in unison by actuating meanswhereby the gratefall is moved along certain predetermined pathsresulting in direct and proper positioning of the entire gratefall.

This invention relates to mechanisms for adjusting the positions ofgratefalls of cotton processing machinery and, more particularly, to animproved gratefall adjusting mechanism for simultaneously and uniformlyadjusting the position of the entire gratefall relative to the remainderof the machine.

Cotton processing machines such as cotton seed delinters and cotton ginsutilize rotating saws to remove the cotton from the cotton seed. Moreparticularly, these machines have a saw cylinder comprised of a largenumber of circular saws mounted on a common horizontal axis for rotationas an integral units about the axis, the saws being axially spaced-apartso that there is an axial space between each adjacent pair of saws.These machines further include a gratefall having a large number ofspaced-apart parallel members, and the gratefall is positioned duringmachine operation such that the parallel members extend throughrespective ones of the axial spaces between the saws, there being asmany parallel members as there are axial spaces. For proper operation,it is essential that the entire gratefall be properly positionedrelative to the peripheral portions of the circular saws. This means, ofcourse, that the position of the gratefall relative to the stationaryportions of the machine, including the fixed horizontal axis about whichthe saw cylinder rotates, should be adjusted each time the saws aresharpened since sharpening necessarily changes the diameter of the saws.In the case of cotton seed delinters, resharpening of the saw teeth isrequired at least once during each twenty-four hour period of operationfor effective and efiicient de-linting. The resulting requirement forequally frequent adjustment of the gratefall position has been aperennial and critical problem in cotton processing plants. The presentinvention provides a accurate, simple, and easily operated mechanism formaking these necessary adjustments as otfen as desired.

To appreciate the magnitude of the problems heretofore encountered whenadjusting the positions of gratefalls, it will be well to review brieflythe dimensions of a typical de-linter. One such machine has 176 sawsmounted on a saw cylinder that is 61.1875 inches long. With each of the18 inch diameter saws having a thickness of approximately 0.035 inch,the axial spaces have widths of approximately 0.315 inch. Since theparallel members extending through the spaces have widths ofapproximately 0.250 inch, there is an ideal clearance of approximately0.0325 inch, between each of the parallel members and each of itsadjacent saws. At this point, it will be clear to those skilled in theart that the entire gratefall and its parallel members must beaccurately po- 3,490,101 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 sitioned relative to theperipheral portions of the saws not only to attain maximum quality andquantity of production, but also to prevent rubbing between the parallelmembers and the associated saws. Such rubbing can result in fires, thedrawing of excessive horsepower since heavy rubbing can act as a veryeffective brake on the saw cylinder, and damaged saws which must bereplaced prematurely.

Prior to this invention, the positions of gratefalls have been adjustedby individually and sequentially adjusting a plurality of adjustingscrews located between the stationary support structure of the machineand the upper and lower portions of the gratefall. Since the diametersof the saws can be reduced very substantially before the saws lose theireffectiveness and must be discarded, the adjusting screws usedheretofore had to be capable of adjuting the position of the gratefallthrough a range of several inches as well as being capable of extremelyaccurate adjustment. The usual practice heretofore has been to adjustone screw at a time, using suitable gages to insure that the adjacentportions of the gratefall are properly positioned relative to theperipheral portions of the adjacent saws. After each screw is adjusted,the gauges are moved to the vicinity of the next screw, which is thenadjusted in a similar manner. Since the position of each screw willnecessarily have some effect on the gratefall positioning in thevicinity of the other screws, it is necessary to use the gauges at leastone more time in the vicinity of each screw for making fine adjustmentsafter all of the screws have been initially positioned. While thisapproach is time consuming under the best of conditions, it istheoretically effective and should, if carefully performed, provideaccurate positioning of the gratefall. Unfortunately, however, the laboravailable at cotton processing plants is usually of the unskilled typeand cannot be relied upon to properly adjust the machines withoutconstant and close supervision. As a result, cotton processing plants ingeneral, and cotton seed de-linting plants in particular because of therequirement for frequent saw sharpening, have been plagued over theyears with improperly positioned gratefalls, the results beingineffective and inefficient cotton processing, fires, overloading of thepower supply, and damaged saws.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide for cottonprocessing machinery an improved gratefall adjusting mechanism by whichthe gratefall may be accurately positioned by unskilled labor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved gratefalladjusting mechanism by which the gratefall may be both accurately andrapidly positioned.

Still another object is to provide a gratefall adjusting mechanism whichdoes not require the use of gauges for normal adjustments.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gratefall adjustingmechanism by which the entire gratefall can be positioned by making asingle adjustment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedgratefall adjusting mechanism not subject to the problems oftenassociated with prior art mechanisms, these including ineffective andinefficient cotton processing, fires, overloading of the power supply,and damaged saws.

Briefly stated, in carrying out the invention in one form, the improvedadjusting mechanism includes first and second connecting means betweenthe stationary portions of the machine and the upper and lower portions,respectively, of the gratefall, which includes a large number ofparallel members extending in one-to-one relationship through the axialspaces between the saws. Each axial portion of the first connectingmeans constrains the adjacent portions of the gratefall, including theupper ends of the adjacent parallel members to movement along firstpredetermined paths, and each axial portion of the second connectingmeans constrains the adjacent portions of the gratefall, including thelower ends of the adjacent parallel members to movement along secondpredetermined paths. A plurality of positioning devices each associatedwith an axial portion of the first connecting means are provided forpositioning the adjacent upper portions of the gratefall at selectedpositions along the first predetermined paths, the upper ends of theparallel members being at each selected position properly positioned forone and only one saw diameter. The positioning devices areinterconnected for operation in unison by actuating means so that theentire upper portion of the gratefall may be simultaneously anduniformly moved along the first predetermined paths, and the secondconnecting means are constructed such that operation of the actuatingmeans results in corresponding and uniform movement of the entire lowerportion of the gratefall along the second predetermined paths, therebeing for each selected position along the first predetermined paths oneand only one respective position along the second predetermined paths.The lower ends of the parallel members are at each respective positionproperly positioned forthe one and only one saw diameter. Accordingly,operation of the actuating means results in direct and properpositioning of the entire gratefall.

By a further aspect of the invention, the first conecting means includesa plurality of hinge members pivotally connected at their opposite endsto the stationary portions of the machine and to the gratefall, and thesecond connecting means includes a. plurality of cam means between thestationary portions and the gratefall. The positioning means are eachlocated between the stationary portions and the respective hinge fordirectly positioning the hinge and indirectly positionng the gratefall.More partcularly, the positioning means preferably include a worm gearoperated shaft movable relative to a fixed housing for varying thedistance between the stationary portions and the gratefall, and theactuating means preferably includes a plurality of interconnected wormsfor operating the worm gears and the associated shafts in unison. By astill further aspect of the invention, indicating means are provided forvisually indicating the position of the gratefall relative to theremainder of the machine.

While the invention is distinctly claimed and partcularly pointed out inthe claims appended hereto, the invention, both as to organzation andcontent, will be better understood and appreciated, along with otherobjects and features thereof, from the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial view of a cotton processing machine equippedwith the adjusting mechanism of this inventon;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operativerelationship between the gratefall and the saws and the adjustingmechanism for maintaining the desired relationship throughout a Widerange of saw diameters;

FIGURE 2A is a sectional view tkaen along line 2A- 2A of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along viewing line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view, partially cut-away, of the actuating means and upperpositioning devices of the adjusting mechanism;

FIGURE 5 is a view, partially cut-away, of one of the positioningdevices of FIGURE 4 taken along viewing line 55;

FIGURE 5A is a sectional view taken along line 5A- 5A of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 6 is a detail view of one of the positioning shafts; and

FIGURE 7 is a view of the mechanism for indicating the position of thegratefall relative to the remainder of the machine.

Referring first to FIGURES 1-3, the cotton seed delinter 10 isillustrated, the de-linter 10 including stationary support structure 11,a gratefall 12 pivotally connected at its upper portion 13 to thestationary structure 11 by hinges 14, and a saw cylinder 16. The sawcylinder 16, which in the illustrated embodiment is 61.1875 inches longand has 176 circular saws 17 mounted thereon, is supported by thestationary support structure 11 for rotation during operation about afixed horizontal axis 18. As best shown by FIGURE 3, the saw cylinder 16includes, in addition to the saws 17 which have original diameters of 18inches, spacers 20 for maintaining the saws 17 in axially spaced-apartrelationship, there being an annular space 21 between each adjacent pairof saws 17. The saws 17 have thicknesses T in the order of 0.035 inch,and the spaces 21 have thicknesses T in the order of 0.315 inch.

The gratefall 12, which in FIGURE 1 is illustrated in its raisedposition for permitting removal of the saw cylinder 16 for the purposeof sharpening the saws 17 and in FIGURES 2 and 3 is illustrated in itslowered position for de-linting operation, includes a large number ofgrates 22 which project through the spaces 21 in spaced relationship tothe saws 17 when the gratefall 12 is in its lowered position. Thegratefall 12 includes large end plates 23 disposed in vertical planesand horizontally extending support members 24 and 25 at the upper andlower ends 27 and 28 respectively, of the grates 22, these horizontalsupport members 24 and 25 interconnecting the end plates 23 and grates22 into an integral and rigid structure. More particularly, as bestillustrated by FIG- URES 2 and 3, there are as many grates 22 as thereare spaces 21 between the saws 17, the parallel grates 22 extendingthrough the spaces 21 and aligned such that their upper ends 27 aregenerally above the fixed horizontal axis 18 and their lower ends 28 arebelow and in front of the axis 18. In other words, the parallel grates22 are disposed at acute angles with both the horizontal and verticalplanes containing the fixed horizontal axis 18. As illustrated by FIGURE3, the grates 22 have thicknesses T of approximately 0.250 inch, thisresulting in theoretical clearances T of approximately 0.0325 inchbetween each grate 22 and the adjacent saws 17. It will, of course, bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art that even minor canting ortipping of the gratefall 12 could result in elimination of theseclearances T and undesired rubbing between the parallel members 22 andthe saws 17, the various difficulties discussed above resulting. It is,therefore, necessary that such tipping be avoided since the clearances'1, cannot be increased without permitting passage of cotton seedsthrough the grates 22.

The gratefall 12 also includes a float or paddle wheel 32 rotatablymounted in the end plates 23 and extending axially therebetween forrotation about an axis 34, the purpose of the float 32 being tocontinually turn the cotton seed being processed to promote efficientand effective de-linting operation. For satisfactory operation, it isessential that a dimension A of approximately 0.4375 inch be maintainedbetween the heat 32 and the outer peripheries 35 .of the saws 17, thisdimension A being illustrated by FIGURE 2. In addition, it is alsoessential that the upper ends 27 of the grates 22 be preciselypositioned relative to the peripheries 35 of the saws 17. Moreparticularly, the horizontal member 24', which extends axially acrossthe upper ends 27 of the grates 22, should be maintained at a distance Bof approximately 0.625 inch from the peripheries 35 of the saws 17.Finally, the saws 17 should project through the grates 22 a distance Cof approximately 1.625 inches. While these dimensions may vary somewhatin the practice of the invention, they should remain for satisfactoryde-linting operation within plus or minus 0.0312 inch of the values justgiven. Since the diameters D of the saws 17 can vary from the originaleighteen inches down to as low as 15 inches, it will be clear to thoseskilled in the art that the gratefall 12 and the parallel members 22must be capable of being moved relative to the saw cylinder 16,including the saws 17 and the fixed axis 18 of rotation. The adjustingmechanism of the present invention makes this type of movement possiblewithout risk of tipping the gratefall 12 and thereby causing rubbing andattendant difficulties.

Before turning attention to the novel adjusting mechanism of thisinvention, however, it should be noted that the axis 34 of the float orpaddle wheel 32 is a fixed distance E from the grates 22. Since thedistance A is thus necessarily related to the distance C, the entiregratefall 12 will be properly positioned if the proper distances B and Care maintained by the gratefall adjusting mechanism. In the past, thesedistances B and C have been set by repeated use of a gauge such as thatillustrated in FIGURE 2 by the broken lines 38 atvarious axial positionsalong the gratefall 12, this approach being described in theintroductory portions of this specification. As a practical matter,however, the entire gratefall 12 is actually positioned by locating theupper ends 27 of all of the grates 25 at the proper distance B above thesaw peripheries 35 and then angularly positioning the lower ends 28 ofall of the grates 22 such that the proper distance C is attained. Inother words, the upper portion 13 .of the gratefall 12 and the upperends 27 of the grates 22 must be capable of movement in a generallyvertical direction in order to accommodate variations in the diameter ofthe saws 17, and the lower portion 40 of the gratefall 12 and the lowerends 28 of the grates 22 must be capable of both movement in a generallyvertical direction and of angular adjustment relative to the positionsof the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 and the upper ends 27 of thegrates 22.

It has been found that for any particular saw diameter D, there is oneand only one proper position of the upper ends 27 of the grates 22. Theupper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 and the upper ends 27 of the grates22 must, therefore, be supported for movement in predetermined paths,each position along the paths corresponding to one and only one sawdiameter D. Similarly, there is one and only one proper position of thelower portion 40 of the gratefall 12 and the lower ends 28 .of thegrates 22 for each saw diameter D. The adjusting mechanism of thisinvention moves the entire upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 and theupper ends 27 of all of the grates 22 in unison from a single point suchthat the upper ends 27 of all the grates are simultaneously anduniformly positioned without tipping for any desired saw diameter D. Theentire lower portion 40 of the gratefall 12 and the lower ends 28 of thegrates 22 are automatically positioned in accordance with the positionof the upper ends 27 of the grates 22, there being one and only oneposition of the lower ends 28 for each position of the upper ends.

As best illustrated by FIGURES 2 and 4, the upper portion 13 of thegratefall 12 is pivotally attached to the stationary support structure11 by three axially spaced-apart hinges 14. Each of the hinges 14includes a central hinge member 45 which is pivotally secured at one ofits ends to the stationary support structure 11 at 46 and at the otherof its ends to the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 at 47. Thepivotal connections 46 between the hinge members 45 and the stationarysupport structure 11 are located on a common horizontal hinge axis. Eachof the hinge members 45 is, however, independently mounted on thiscommon axis 50 and is capable of movement independently of the otherhinge members. The pivotal connections 47 between the other ends of thehinge members 45 and the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 are alsoloacted on horizontal axes which are, when the gratefall 12 is uniformlypositioned relative to the saw cylinder 16 and the horizontal axis 18 ofrotation, coincident with each other as illustrated by the numeral 51.Because of the double pivotal connection between each of the hingemembers 45 and the support structure 11 and the gratefall 12, the upperportion 13 of the gratefall 12, and consequently the upper ends 27 ofthe grates 22, can be moved generally vertically along the predeterminedpaths.

To position the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 and the upper ends27 of the grates 22 relative to the saw cylinder 16 and the axis 18 suchthat the proper dimensions B are maintained between the upper ends 27and the peripheries 35 of the saws 17, a positioning device 60, isassociated with each hinge member 45 for positioning the adjacentportions of the gratefall 12. Each positioning device 60 includes ahousing 61 secured to the stationary support structure 11 and a moveableshaft 62 projecting vertically from the housing 61 to contact the lowersurface 63 of the hinge member 45 intermediate the pivotal connections46 and 47. The shaft 62 is a force transmitting member that by movementup or down can raise or lower the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12.The positioning devices 60 are interconnected by means of stub shafts 65and couplings 68 which join the stub shafts 65 into an integral shaftassembly in order to pro vide simultaneous and uniform adjustment of allof the shafts 62 and hence simultaneous and uniform adjustment of theentire upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12, including the upper ends 27of all of the parallel grates 22. The integral shaft assembly is rotatedby means of a single hand crank 66 which is operable from one end of thede-linter 10.

Turning attention now to FIGURE 2, the entire lower portion 40 of thegratefall 12 is automatically positioned as a function of the positionof the upper portion 13 by a pair of axially spaced-apart cam means 70,each of the cam means 70 including a screw or fixed ca-m follower 72secured to the lower portion 40 of the gratefall 12 and a cam surface 73mounted in a fixed position on the stationary support structure 11. Theweight of the gratefall 12 biases the cam follower 72 into contact withthe cam surface 73, at all times, except when the entire gratefall islifted into its raised position of FIGURE 1. As the upper portion 13 ofthe gratefall 12 is moved in a generally vertical direction by theshafts 62 acting on the hinge members 45, the lower portion 40 of thegratefall 12 w1l l also move vertically. The cam surface 73, however, 1sshaped to convert this vertical movement into the proper angularpositioning of the lower ends 28 of the grates 22 so that the dimensionC will correspond to the selected dimension B. The dimension B is, ofcourse, selected by the operator by moving the upper portion 13 of thegratefall 12 relative to the peripheries 35 of the saws 17 by means ofthe hand crank 66. Thus, positioning of the upper portion 13 of thegratefall 12 at a desired pos t onalong its predetermined path resultsin automatic pos tioning of the entire lower portion 40 at therespective position along its predetermined path.

Turning attention now to FIGURES 46, the adjusting mechanism of thisinvention will be described in greater detail. The shaft 62 of each ofthe positioning devices 60 has a keyway therein and a threaded outerportion 81 which is received in a mating threaded internal portion (notshown) of a worm gear 83 mounted for rotation within the housing 61. Akey 84 is secured to the housing 61 and projects into the keyway 80 topermit axial move ment only of the shaft 62 relative to the housing 61.A worm 85 engages the worm gear 83 to selectively rotate the worm gear83. Rotation of the worm gear 83 causes relative rotation between thethreaded portions of the worm gear 83 and the shaft 62, respectively,since the key 84 prevents rotation of the shaft 62. This relativerotation is therefore converted into axial movement of the shaft 62 intoor out of the housing 61, the direction depending upon the direction ofrelative rotation. The

worms 85 are secured to the stub shafts 65 and thus may be rotated inunison by means of the hand crank 66.

It is thus possible to either raise or lower the entire gratefall 12 adesired amount of merely turning the hand crank 66 the required degreein the proper direction.

For proper positioning of the entire upper portion 13 of the gratefall12, it is essential that the shafts 62 of all of the positioning devices60 not only work together in unison, but also project identicaldistances from the housing 61 at all times. By being interconnected bythe integral shaft assembly including the stub shafts 65 and thecouplings 68, movement of the shaft 62 will occur in unison at alltimes. However, the shaft 62 will be properly aligned only if they werealigned with each other during the initial assembly of the positioningdevices 60. To permit any necessary individual adjustment during thisassembly phase, the couplings 68 include set screws 90 which areordinarily secured to the shafts 65 to thereby form the integral shaftassembly. By releasing of set screws 90, however, the individual stubshafts 65 can be individually rotated to adjust the positions of therespective shafts 62.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat the positioning devices 60 'and their actuating meanssimultaneously and uniformly adjust the dimension B between the upperhorizontal member 24 and the peripheries 35 of the saws 17. The cammeans 70 between the lower portion 40 of the gratefall 12 and thestationary support structure 11 automatically sets the dimension C inaccordance with the selected dimension B. Referring now to FIGURE 7,novel indicating means 95 is provided'for visually indicating therelative position between the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12 andthe stationary support structure 11. Since the axis 18 of rotation ofthe saw cylinder 16 is fixed relative to the stationary supportstructure 11, the indicating means 95 thus indicates the relativeposition between the upper portion 13 of the gratefall 12, including theupper ends 27 of the grates 22, and the axis 18 of rotation. If thediameter D of the saws 17 is known, it is possible to position the upperportion 13 of the gratefall 12 relative to the stationary supportstructure 11 with assurance that the dimension B will be proper.Actually, devices used to sharpen the saws 17 of the saw cylinder 15usually include means for accurately indicating the diameter of thesharpened saws. This diameter is ordinarily indicated as an index numberon the scale which typically ranges between and 95, a saw cylinder 16having 18 inch diameter saws 17 having an index of and a saw cylinder 16having 16 inch saws 17 having an index of 95. By the present invention,similar means are utilized on the de-linting machine 10 so that theoperator need merely adjust the position of the gratefall 12 by turningthe hand crank 66 until the index on the de-linters scale equals theindex on the saw sharpening machine. The indicating means 95 is providedby pivotally mounting a pointer 96 on the stationary support structure11 adjacent the gratefall and mounting a stationary pin 97 on thegratefall 12 in a location to engage the pointer 12, the pointer 96being biased upwardly against the pin 97 at all times by a spring 98. Ascale 100 is located on the stationary support structure 11 adjacent thepointer 96 for visually indicating the position of the pointer, thescale 100 including index numbers corresponding to the index numbersutilized on the saw sharpening machine. Thus, for a saw cylinder 16having 18 inch diameter saws 17, the hand crank 66 should be adjusteduntil the pointer reads 10, and for a saw cylinder 16 having 16 inchdiameter saws 17, the crank 66 should be rotated to lower the gratefall12 relative to the stationary support structure to a position at whichthe pointed 66 points to 95 on the scale 100.

It will be appreciated from the above that this invention provides animproved gratefall adjusting mechanism by which the entire gratefall maybe accurately and rapidly positioned by unskilled labor without anyrequirement for numerous adjustments and the use of internal gauges.Because of the accurate positioning that is possible, a cotton seedprocessing machine equipped with the improved adjusting means is notsubject to the pro lems often associated with prior art cottonprocessing equipment, these difficulties including inefiicient andineifective cotton processing, fires, overloading of the power supply,and damaged saws.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it will be understood that various changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, and it is intended to cover all such changes andmodifications by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cottton processing machine including stationary supportstructure, a saw clyinder comprising a plurality of axially spaced-apartcircular saws supported by the stationary support structure for rotationabout a fixed horizontal axis, and a gratefall including a plurality ofparallel members extending in one-to-one relationship through the axialspaces between adjacent ones of said saws partially above the fixedhorizontal axis of rotation and at acuate angles with the horizontal andvertical planes containing the fixed horizontal axis of rotation, theconfiguration of the parallel members being such that proper positioningof the upper and lower ends of all of the members relative to theperipheral portions of the saws results in proper positioning of theentire gratefall relative to the peripheral portions of the saws; animproved adjusting mechanism for selectively varying the position of theentire gratefall relative to the stationary support structure and thefixed horizontal axis of rotation so as to permit the maintenance ofproper dimensions between the entire gratefall and the peripheralportions of the circular saws throughout a range of saw diameters, saidimproved adjusting mechanism comprising:

connecting means disposed axially across and between said stationarysupport structure and said gratefall for permitting relative movementtherebetween, said connecting means being located generally above saidfixed horizontal axis of rotation and said saw cylinder, said connectionmeans selectively constraining the adjacent upper portion of saidgratefall including the upper ends of the adjacent ones of said parallelmembers to movement along first predetermined paths axially extendingcamming means between said station ary support structure and saidgratefall for permitting relative movement therebetween, said cammingmeans being located generally below said fixed horizontal axis ofrotation and said saw cylinder, each axial portion of said camming meansconstraining the adjacent lower portion of said gratefall including thelower ends of the adjacent ones of said parallel members to movementalong second predetermined paths,

a plurality of positioning means each associated with a respective axialportion of said connecting means for positioning the adjacent upperportion of said gratefall and the upper ends of the adjacent ones ofsaid parallel members at selected positions along said firstpredetermined paths, the upper ends of the adjacent ones of saidparallel members being at each selected position properly positioned forone and only one saw diameter, and

actuating means interconnecting said plurality of positioning means foroperating said plurality of positioning means in unison such that theentire upper portion of said gratefall and the upper ends of all of saidparallel members may be simultaneously and uniformly moved along saidfirst predetermined P said camming means being constructed such thatoperation of said actuating means results in corresponding simultaneousand uniform movement of the entire lower portion of said gratefall andthe lower ends of all of said parallel members along said secondpredetermined paths, there being for each selected position along saidfirst predetermined paths one and. only one respective position alongsaid second predetermined paths, the lower ends of said parallel membersbeing at each respective position properly positioned for said one andonly one saw diameter.

2. The adjusting mechanism of claim 1 in which each axial portion ofsaid connecting means and said camming means are connected to saidstationary support structure and said gratefall independently of theother axial portions.

3. The adjusting mechanism of claim 1 in which said connecting meanscomprises a plurality of axially spacedapart identical hinge members,means pivotally securing one each of said hinge members to saidstationary support structure about a common: horizontal hinge axisindependently of the other hinge members, and means pivotally securingthe other end of each of said hinge members to said gratefall abouthorizontal axes independently of the other hinge members, each of saidpositioning means interconnecting said stationary support structure andthe respective hinge member intermediate said pivotal connecting meansto directly position the respective hinge member and indirectly positionthe adjacent upper portion of said gratefall and the upper ends of theadjacent ones of said parallel members.

4. The adjusting mechanism of claim 3 in which said camming meanscomprises a plurality of axially spacedapart identical cam means eachcomprising a cam surface secured to a selected one of said stationarysupport structure and said gratefall and a cam follower secured to theother of said stationary support structure and said grate fall, theweight of said gratefall maintaining said cam surfaces and said camfollower in contact with each other at all times and the cam surfacesbeing contoured to provide movement of the adjacent lower portions ofsaid gratefall and the adjacent lower ends of said parallel membersalong said second predetermined paths.

5. The adjusting mechanism of claim 4 further comprising indicatingmeans supported by said stationary support structure and adapted forindicating the position of said gratefall relative to said stationarysupport structure and said fixed horizontal axis of rotation.

6. The adjusting mechanism of claim 4 in which each of said positioningmeans comprises a housing secured to said stationary support structure,a shaft mounted in said housing and projecting therefrom to engage saidhinge member, and means connected to said shaft for varying the distancesaid shaft projects from said housing.

7. The adjusting mechanism of claim 4 in which each of said positioningmeans comprises a housing secured to said stationary support structure,a shaft mounted in said housing and projecting therefrom to engage saidhinge member, guide means for permitting only longitudinal movement ofsaid shaft along its axis, and a worm gear coaxially surrounding saidshaft and mounted in said housing for rotation about said common axis,the internal portion of said worm gear and an external portion of saidshaft having mating threads thereon such that rotation of said worm gearresults in corresponding longitudinal movement of said shaft.

8. The adjusting mechanism of claim 7 in which said actuating meanscomprises a plurality of worms each engaging a respective one of saidworm gears, shaft means interconnecting said worms such that said wormsare rotatable in unison, and means for rotating said shaft means andsaid worms.

9.;The adjusting mechanism of claim 8 in which said shaft means includesreleasable couplings between adjacent pairs of said worms forselectively permitting individual adjustment of said worms and therespective positioning means.

10. The adjusting mechanism of claim 9 further comprising indicatingmeans supported by said stationary support structure and adapted forindicating the position of said gratefall relative to said stationarysupport structure and said fixed horizontal axis of rotation.

11. The adjusting mechanism of claim 9 in which said means for rotatingsaid shaft means is a crank which can be manually operated from a singlepoint to adjust theposition of said entire gratefall relative to saidstationary support structure and said fixed horizontal axis of rotation.

12. The adjusting mechanism of claim 11 further comprising a pointerpivotally mounted on a selected one of said gratefall and saidstationary support structure, abutment means secured to the other ofsaid gratefall and said stationary support structure for contacting saidpointer to position said pointer in accordance with the relativepositions of said gratefall and said stationary support structure, and ascale adjacent said pointer for visually indicating the position of saidpointer and the relative positions of said gratefall and said stationarysupport structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 22,542 9/1944 Ricker 1941828,438 8/1906 Stone 1955 XR 1,599,024 9/1926 McLean 19-55 2,192,6903/1940 Morgan 1955 2,738,553 3/1956 Davis 1941 2,838,803 6/1958 Banks1955 DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PatentNo. 3,490,101 Dated June 25, 1970 Inventor(s) GEORGE A. FOUNTAIN It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

f- Column 1, line 34, change "units" to unit 1, 36, change "These" toThe 1, 57, change "a" to an 1, 58, change "otfen" to often 2, 17, change"adjuting" to adjusting 2, 20, change "gages" to gauges 3, 36,change,-"positionng" to ositioning 3, 47 and 48, change "partcularly toparticularly 3, 49, change "organzation" to organization 3, 56, change"inventon" to invention 3, 61, change "tkaen" to taken 5, 67, after"axis" insert 5O 5, 73, change "loacted' to located 7, 4, change "of" toby 7, 71, change "pointed" to pointer 8, 18, change "clyinder" tocylinder 8, 25, change "acuate" to acute 8, 44, change "connection" toconnecting 9, 21, delete the colon (z). 9, 39, change "follower" tofollowers JIGNH) M FALED OCT 6 w OCT. 6,1970

(SEAL) LAttest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Ir.

mm E. W, JR- Anestmg Officer commissioner of Patents

